


I’ll be your first and last

by iminlovewithsesshomaru



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst?, Annie is a witch, Eventual Smut, F/F, Falco and Udo friendship, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Gabi and Zophia friendship, Lesbians Everywhere, Mikasa is a witch hunter, Sasha is Gabi’s big sister ?, Sasha is a vegetarian:), Slow Burn, Three different covens, Zeke and Levi are head hunters, there’s violence, they all live in the forest :D
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29213157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iminlovewithsesshomaru/pseuds/iminlovewithsesshomaru
Summary: Annie is a witch. Mikasa is a witch hunter. I’m really bad at summaries, but please give it a try :)
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart, Pieck Finger/Yelena
Comments: 25
Kudos: 140





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Hi :) This is my first fanfiction, so please, leave constructive criticism and tell me how you like it. This is going to have multiple chapters, but I cannot tell you how many there will be.

Blood was dripping from a young woman, seeping through the soil below. She was clutching the nearest tree, gasping for air. Her blood was everywhere, and her wounds were getting worse as she ran. She couldn't be caught, she had to return home, she had to tell them-

"Keep looking!” a hunter yelled. “She can't have gone that far.”

At this point, the woman was close to fainting; the only thing keeping her going was the trees she held onto for balance. The harsh winds weren't making it easier for her. And the hunters were close, the distance between them and her had shortened after the second arrow was shot, landing on her thigh. 

She broke the arrows, but didn't dare take them out, or she'd bleed to death before getting home. Her steps were becoming shorter, and her pace slower. Though the hunters voices were becoming faint, she couldn't stop.

She wasn't even close to town, but they still found her. They might not be close to the house, but this was still bad. It would be sooner or later till they found all of them, and it'd all be her fault. 

She'd only been playing with the plants; growing them into large trees, adding flowers all around. Frankly, if it wasn't for her, the forest would not be as it is today: it'd be dead. The trees would be chopped off, the plants would have never grown properly, and the animals would be gone. If there was a Mother Nature, it must have been her. 

The only reason she leaves the coven is to keep the forest in good shape. She'd never meant to catch the attention of the hunters. If a witch had one true fear, it was being caught by them, the hunters. There's only rumors of what they did to witches; mutilate them, experiment, torture them for the sake of entertainment, or even push them to the edge, until they beg for death. But there was only one thing everyone knew they did to witches: burn them. 

The hunters had always been after them, and killing every possible-witch they could find. But they've never looked this deep in the woods. Where the real witches lied. If they captured one witch, it was safe to say that every other witch in their coven was found too. So far there were only 3 covens, there're very few witches in each, but it's better like that; less suspicious. They were all scattered deep in the woods, where no foolish man would go. At least, it's what they thought. 

The wind became louder, and the air felt like glass as she inhaled it. It was becoming more, and more difficult to continue her search for shelter, but she had to. 

The hunters were no longer heard. Their voices were not faint, but gone, completely. She decided to stop, dropping herself in front of a tree, leaning on it. She hoped the hunters decided to leave, to call it a day and forget about her. She was focusing on her breathing; it was too fast, she could choke on the air. 

A crack came from the trees ahead of the woman. Her eyes sprung wide-open, slowly picked herself up, still leaning to the tree for support, searching for what made the noise. 

Before the woman could catch her breath, she was tackled onto the floor. Strong arms were keeping her down, thighs were on the side of her, squeezing her waist so she could not move them. 

The woman did not know what was happening, it was all too fast for her to react. She started kicking her legs in the air, hoping the person on top would have a reaction to it: they didn't. 

The person above her pulled something from the side of their right calve. A dagger. The woman's eyes could've fallen out at that moment. She kicked her legs more, pulling her head away from the direction the dagger was in. The person on top put more pressure into the woman's chest, bringing the dagger to the woman's face. She froze, she didn't have enough energy to defend herself and stopped moving, still staring at the dagger. The person above her slowly brought it to her cheek, gliding it to the woman, who had the look of fear on her face, neck. 

At that point the woman looked at her attacker. They had a green cloak that covered most of their face, black pants with a black buttoned-up shirt, and black boots. Clearly, she was a big fan of black. 

The attacker sighed, pulling their dagger away from the woman who lay frozen. They lifted their head, the hood slipped down, though their hair still covered parts of their face. It was a woman. She looked down to the woman she attacked, still frozen in fear. 

“It's been a long time, Annie.”

Annie gasped, her mind was everywhere, but still, nowhere. She remembered her, how could she not. It was the first woman she loved, and the first who tried to kill her. Annie sighed, her fear rushing away with it. 

“So it has, Mikasa.” 

Mikasa lifted herself up, Annie too, wincing in pain as her wounds bled more. Annie sat beside the tree, leaning onto it for support. She had to get home soon, it'd be curfew soon. Mikasa stood ahead of her, placing her dagger in the proper position it had been before. 

“I never would've thought you'd still be out, playing in the forest," Mikasa said, staring down at Annie. 

“I am the only reason it has not died yet,” she said. 

Mikasa scanned Annie's body, looking at all her wounds (which left her body full of blood). “I think you might want to make sure you don't die first,” Mikasa said, leaning onto a seperate tree. 

“This-” Annie motioned her hand at her wounds to her wounds, “- is not my fault. You'd have better chances to consider this was all your doing.”

“No,” Mikasa said. “If you received a wound from me, you'd know it was me."

"Oh? Are you that special,” Annie said. 

“Yes, I am," Mikasa said. "And my attacks might just kill you, not just make you bleed." 

“Then kill me, now. I'm terribly wounded and wouldn't have the energy to fight back."

“I'll kill you when I see it most enjoyable. Where's the fun if I just kill you on our first reunion- now, how many years has it been?"

Annie stayed silent, shifting uncomfortably. The memories from that time washed over her. But before she could think about any of it, Mikasa continued, 

"I've very much enjoyed our chat, today, but I must get going. And please, do get better at running away, someone might kill you before I get the chance.”

She walked towards a bundle of trees, Annie didn't take her eyes off of her.

“Annie," MIkasa said, refusing to face Annie, "do remember: I will be the one to kill you." She disappeared into the trees.

Annie banged the back of her head against the tree a few times, before standing up. She had to get home soon, she had to tell them: 

The hunters were getting closer. The hunters were becoming stronger. The hunters were advancing in their weapons. The hunters were killing more possible-witches. And soon, they will kill the real ones. 


	2. 11 Years Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part of the past between Mikasa and Annie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is NOT the complete history, other parts will be published separately. I know my chapters are short, but there will be multiple chapters.

11 years ago 

It was a nice day; the sun covered the entire forest and glistened through the stream, the birds were flying around, and the fish swam together: it was all peaceful. 

Annie was prancing around the forest, growing flowers with the flick of her wrist as she went. The forest was becoming more colorful- more lively. Grass was everywhere, and what seemed like a path made of flowers, splayed around the trees and through the grass. 

She started to adjust to her new ability: she could manipulate nature around her. Her sisters said by the time she turned 17, she would be able to grow trees to their highest length possible. So far, she only knew how to grow small plants and flowers, and she was happy with just being able to do that; making the forest colorful and green. 

She felt free. Now, she was never held in the coven against her will or forced to stay, but she enjoyed seeing other parts of the forest. And it was still daylight, so she didn't have to worry about curfew. 

She was in a long white skirt (surprisingly clean), a green top that only covered her chest and some of her stomach, and no shoes. Now, it wasn't because she didn't have any- if anything, her sisters would judge her if they saw her appearance- but she simply did not like wearing shoes. 

She felt at peace. Even though her home was in the forest, she wanted to sleep outside. She wanted to live in nowhere but the forest. Of course, her sisters would think she was not in the right mindset if she said that. 

She wished Sasha would leave her coven once in a while. Sasha was a witch from a different coven, who had an… interesting ability. Annie heard she could communicate with animals. It may have been an ability that wasn't so common, but Annie envied her when she first knew of the girl. 

Sometimes Annie doubted the young girl even existed. Annie thought that maybe she wasn't an outside person, but who would be given the gift to communicate with animals, and not be interested in going into the wild. There was also the chance that her coven was farther from hers, which seemed likely, because the only time she's heard of other witches in other covens it'd been from Ymir. 

Ymir was the mother of her coven. She was the only one who knew the locations of the other two covens, and the other witches in town. Like many other mothers, she kept lots of secrets, and focused on protecting her young-ones. She was the one who created a curfew, she was the one that reminded them to never go near town: only she was able to go, and she was the one who would end up helping save the young witches. 

Annie had slowed her pace, her blonde-hair swaying as she moved, walking to the stream. It was the stream that followed near their home; if she ever got lost, she'd just have to find the stream first. She stood in front of the water, waiting till she felt like stepping in. She was calming her breathing and wiping the sweat off her cheek. Had she really been running that long?

After what seemed like 5 minutes of her looking down at the stream, breathing slowly, she stepped into the water. The fish swam away to where her feat was. This was the time she'd like to understand animals: were they scared of her? Or did they just dislike the motion? Who knew. 

She was swaying her feat around the water, accidentally hitting rocks as she went walking through it. She walked to the part of the stream that was filled with dirt, leaned down to the point she could kiss the water, brought her hand next to her face, and started motioning it into a circle. The dirt below started to shake, as though a tiny earthquake was happening. Annie then flicked her wrist upward. Lily flowers started to appear below, slowly growing till they popped up, above the water. 

Annie was enjoying her time, smiling as she went to do the same with other piles of dirt. But then she heard a loud shuffling in the trees. Someone was there. 

Annie stopped what she had been doing, looking nervously around her, staring aggressively at the trees. Her eyes moved quickly, scanning to see if anyone was there, till-

A young-woman's face appeared at the top of a bush. She had long black hair, and her blue eyes were piercing Annie in the gut. Annie froze, gaping at her. She's never seen anyone outside of the people in her coven. Annie hoped it was a foolish girl who became lost. She recollected herself quickly, shaking her head. 

She looked at the young woman. “Who are you”

The woman stood up from her crouching position, she was wearing black pants, a beige corset-top, and black boots. She moved around the bush, slowly walking towards Annie, a straight face was plastered onto her face, though in her eyes she was terrified. 

“Who are you,” Annie repeated, stepping closer to the young woman. This is bad, Annie thought, Really bad. 

“People say your kind is dangerous,” the young woman said. “They say you're the devils.”

“Who are you,” Annie said. She sounded as if she was pleading: maybe she was. She hoped the woman would leave, forget everything about her and move on with her day. 

“I'm Mikasa Ackerman, and you are?" she said, calmly. 

Annie swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don't think I should tell you,” she said, slowly backing away. 

Mikasa studied her, the fear in her eyes no longer there. "Are you dangerous?”

What sort of question was that. Annie may have been a witch, but she’d never purposely hurt someone. Ymir raised them to never use their abilities for evil. 

“No,” Annie said, “honestly,” Mikasa’s eyes looked like they had a glint of fire in them, “Prove to me you aren’t.” 

What did that mean? Was she going to hurt Annie? Was Annie supposed to run away? No. She had to prove that she wasn’t dangerous. But how was she going to do that. Mikasa called her a devil- no. She said they heard they were devils. Did she really want Annie to prove herself? Was she really going to decide if Annie’s kind was dangerous, by simply one demonstration? 

Annie’s eyes opened: she knew just the thing. 

“...I’m going to need you to come closer so that I can show you,” Annie said, reaching her arm out. 

“How do I know you’re not going to hurt me?” Mikasa said, crossing her arms. 

“I promise.” 

Mikasa thought about her decision for a minute or two. Annie looked as though she was pleading for her life, that if she made one wrong move her world would collapse. MIkasa made her decision. 

She slowly walked towards Annie, they were at least one-to-two feet from each other. Annie’s hand that had stayed reached out, gesturing for Mikasa's right hand. Mikasa had slowly brought her hand into Annie’s reach, staring at her intently. Annie had quickly bent down to pinch some dirt off the floor, stood up, then placed it into MIkasa’s hand. Annie had repeated that process, till there was a pile of dirt on Mikasa’s hand. Mikasa looked confusingly at her. Annie offered her a small smile, then focussed on Mikasa’s hand again. 

Annie placed her right hand on top of Mikasa’s, flicking her wrist downward and began to move it in a circular motion. The dirt started to shake, that was Annie’s cue to stop circling it and flick her wrist upward. A small plant popped from the pile of dirt. Mikasa’s eyes were wide open, fixated on her hand. The plant began to grow slowly into a poppy flower. Annie smiled at herself; it was the first time it had worked. 

They were both staring at Mikasa’s hand, gazing at the newly grown flower. 

“You aren’t dangerous, you’re lovely,” Mikasa said, smiling brightly at Annie. 

Annie’s fear washed away. She plucked the flower from Mikasa’s hand, smiling like a kid who received candy, after she heard Mikasa’s words. She was lovely. 

She handed the poppy back to Mikasa, and she galdy took it, holding it close to her. 

After staring at her for the longest minute, Annie finally said, “The best part about it is that it doesn't die.” 

“It doesn’t die?” Mikasa said, looking up from the flower she held, then back to it. 

“It doesn’t die.” 

They stared at each other, not sure what to do next. Mikasa opened her mouth but was cut off by a voice in the woods. 

“MIKASA! WHERE ARE YOU, DEAR?!” A woman’s voice, screaming from somewhere in the woods. 

Mikasa’s eyes became wide, she panicked for a few minutes before looking at Annie again. She clutched the flower, turning her head to see who was near. 

She finally focussed her eyes on Annie. “Go,” she pleaded. “Please, run, hide- just go!” 

Annie slowly walked back, staring at Mikasa. What was going on? 

The voices drew nearer. “MIKASA! ARE YOU NEAR!”

Mikasa ran towards the dozens of trees, she stopped for a moment and turned back. “I will be back. I promise, I’ll be back. Please go,” She said, disappearing into the trees. 

Annie stood dumbfounded. After what seemed like a minute or so, she ran back to her coven, trying to make as little noise possible, still trying to process what happened. 

A human girl- MIkasa saw her. She knew Annie was a witch. She called Annie the devil- no, she said she heard they were devils. She called Annie lovely. She ran away. She promised her she’d return. 

* * *

Annie returned everyday to the same spot, hoping, but also dreading, that Mikasa would come back. She went to sleep thinking about what Mikasa told her: You’re lovely. 

9 days have passed since then, and Mikasa hadn’t showed up. Annie came in the morning and left at nightfall, wondering if she’d ever be back. 

Maybe she was scared of Annie. Maybe she hadn’t meant what she said. Maybe she forgot about what happened, like Annie had hoped that day. Maybe she couldn’t remember the location she found Annie. 

It was only maybe’s and questions Annie could think of, but truly, she didn’t actually know why Mikasa hadn’t shown up. And she didn’t know why she left, either, but she had the look of fear on her face. Not fear for herself, but for Annie. 

Annie never told Ymir or her sisters what went on. They’d probably ban her from leaving the Coven for a while- for her and their safety, which she couldn’t argue against. 

Annie was laying down on the grass, fumbling with her fingers as she gazed into the sky. All around her was the poppy flowers she’d been growing, since she met Mikasa. She’d never grown this many flowers before, but she hoped Mikasa would like it- if she even showed up. 

Annie had no thoughts in her head as she gazed into the sky. If you saw her, you’d probably think she was dead. The wind blew, faintly, swaying the flowers and grass and trees. The sun made . It was a beautiful day. 

“You waited?” a voice said, it sounded more like a question than a statement. 

Annie lifted her head. She knew the familiar voice.

Mikasa appeared from the trees, looking at Annie. Annie quickly lifted herself off the ground. Eyes wide at what she was seeing. It was her. It was Mikasa. She was wearing a black corset top, a long beige skirt, and a pair of black boots. Mikasa had a small smile on her lips. 

“I didn’t think you’d actually wait for me,” she continued, looking down at the floor. 

Annie was still dumbfounded at what she was seeing. It was her. It was actually her. Annie recollected herself, fumbling with her hands. 

“You promised you’d come back,” she said, looking up and giving Mikasa a small smile in return. 

“That didnt mean you had to wait for me,” Mikasa replied. “I would’ve understood… if you didn’t show up.” Her smile faltered. 

“But you did… end up coming,” Annie said, giving Mikasa a small smile, shrugging her shoulders. 

Mikasa smiled, looking back down. 

The thought hit Annie. Why did she want to come back, in the first place?

“Why did you want to come back?” Annie blurted, not being able to stand the silence. 

She lifted her head. “What do you mean?” Mikasa asked, tilting her head. 

“You, on your own, decided to come back. Why?” she repeated. “You don’t know me.” 

Mikasa stayed silent while Annie was eager for the answer. 

“Well?” Annie said. 

“...I found you interesting,” Mikasa said, in a low, close to a whisper, voice. 

Interesting, Annie thought, Not lovely.

“You know what I am, don’t you?” Annie asked, already knowing the answer. 

Mikasa nodded, in response. Her head is still hanging low. 

“Are you scared of me?” she asked, hoping the answer would be no. 

The silence was unbearable, Annie could shatter into pieces. The weather grew colder and the sun was hardly out, anymore. 

“No. Like I said, you interest me,” Mikasa said, her head had risen and flashed Annie a small smile. 

Annie felt lighter. Her back muscles un-teansed, and she gave Mikasa a small smile. 

Five or so minutes had passed, they stood in silence, watching each other, very carefully. It was calmer, though, less tense. 

“I enjoyed the short time I had with you, that day. It was pleasant,” MIkasa said, walking around and touching the plants. 

Annie felt happiness overcome her. “As did I!” she exclaimed. “I… I hoped you’d like the poppies,” she said in a calmer tone, motioning to the flowers scattered around them.” 

“They’re beautiful,” she said, walking through the patch of flowers. 

She turned back to Annie, a smile was spread across her face, her black hair swaying because of the wind. 

“My name is Annie Leonhart, and I enjoy the short amounts of time I spend with you,” Annie blurted, not even considering the danger she put herself in. 

Mikasa giggled. “Thank you,” she said. 

“For what?” Annie questioned. 

“For trusting me with your name.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction of Ymir and Hitch :) Day after Annie was hunted.

Annie banged on the coven's door. She felt herself becoming more and more dizzy, which is not surprising, considering the fact that she ran- well, so much as jogged to her home, even though she was close to fainting before heading home. 

The wind grew colder and blew much harder. Annie could have collapsed in the state she was in. 

It took maybe two-to-three minutes for someone to open the door. It was Hitch. Her eyes were wide, sweeping over Annie’s wounds. 

“I know I’m hot, but this is not the time,” Annie said, holding her right thigh, limping through the doorway. 

Hitch shook her head, regaining thought. She grabbed Annie’s left hand, throwing it over her shoulder, helping her walk into the living room. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Hitch asked, shaking her head in disbelief. 

When they were a foot away from the couch, Hitch carefully placed Annie onto it. She ran out of the living room, searching for help. 

“YMIR! THERE’S BEEN AN ACCIDENT…” Hitch called out, running up the stairs in search of Ymir, though it became muffled through the walls. 

Annie looked around the familiar room. The ceiling and walls were a light beige. A golden chandelier was coming out from the ceiling, it was old; the golden color had grey and brown specks on it, but even so, the light coming from the chandelier was glowing bright. The walls had candle holders placed in random areas of the wall, still even in placement, though, and paintings and photographs of the witches before her, were hung with frames. 

“YMIR! IT’S ANNIE…” 

A small, brown desk was located at the farthest corner of the room; it had scattered papers, undoubtedly it was Ymir’s doing. The couch Annie was laying on, was in the upper-back of the room. It was black and leather, and it was undoubtedly, the most uncomfortable thing to lay on. A wide, black, soft rug was placed in front of the couch. A glass table was placed on top of it, with a vase filled with colorful flowers above it. 

A brick fireplace was facing Annie. Wood had already been burning, though the fire was at great heights. Annie was staring closely at the fire, focusing on every crack sound the wood made, the fire swaying in every direction. She had no thoughts in her head, but she kept her eyes on the fire and observed everything it did. 

Her view of the fire was blocked by, what seemed to be, a pair of black, loose slacks. Annie’s eyes trailed up, finding there to be an actual person. 

It was Ymir. 

“You’ve looked… better,” Ymir said, looking at the blonde’s wounds. 

“I could say the same for you,” Annie retorted. Her eyes were becoming heavy, and her voice was faint. 

Hitch was hovering over Annie, biting her nails in worry. 

“What do you mean? These are my favorite slacks and blouse,” Ymir said, looking down at her clothing. 

She motioned for Hitch to come closer and whispered something in her ear. She ran off in a hurry, bumping into the walls of the home as she went. 

“Ymir!... I need to tell you… it’s important…” Annie said, not being able to continue her sentence. 

“Shh,” Ymir said, quietly, “you can tell me tomorrow.” 

“No... you need to know… you need….” Annie’s eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep. She wasn’t able to stand her wounds. 

Hitch hurried back into the room. She held a bundle of medical supplies in her hands. She stopped running as she reached the couch, catching her breath. 

“I- didn’t know- what to bring- so- I brought it all,” She said, taking in deep breathes. 

Ymir smiled and covered her face with her hand in response. 

“You can put everything down here,” She said, motioning to the glass table. 

Hitch hurried around the couch and placed everything on the table below her. 

“Did she tell you what happened,” Ymir said, examining the unconscious woman’s wounds. 

“No. I heard her banging on the door, though, she couldn’t walk correctly so I helped her to the couch,” Hitch said. 

Ymir nodded in response. 

She spent the next hour taking the broken arrows out of Annie’s body and spreading special herbs to her wounds. Throughout the process, Ymir was murmuring about how stupid Annie was, while Hitch handed her all the supplies she asked for. 

When Ymir was finished, she had Hitch carry Annie to her room, as she rested. 

Ymir wondered what Annie had meant. _I need to tell you something_. The sentence was stuck in Ymir’s head. _What the hell happened?_ Ymir questioned. 

It was around two in the morning, the coven was silent, except for the wind that came crashing into the windows. Ymir, like the other young woman, drifted to sleep. 

* * *

Annie awoke in excruciating pain. She suspected this was the aftermath of getting shot with 3 arrows. She stared at her ceiling, thinking back at everything that happened. 

_I saw Mikasa again,_ she thought, smiling smugly. 

_Mikasa remembered me,_ she thought, her smile becoming dim. 

_Mikasa became a hunter,_ she thought, pulling her hand to her head. 

_Mikasa tried killing me_ , she thought, her smile turning into a complete frown. 

She turned into a ball, ignoring the pain that seared through her entire body. She couldn’t stop reliving the moments that went on yesterday, but couldn’t remember what happened after. 

She was safe, of course. She was in her room, bandaged, which was clearly the work done by Ymir. 

She heard muffled voices below her room, but they began to become more clear, and one moment later Ymir and Hitch were standing at her doorway. 

Ymir looked around her room. It was entirely white except for her bed and drawer, which were both pushed to the far back of her room, leaving her a wide space. 

“You could really do something with all this space,” Ymir said, walking into the young girls room. Hitch following behind her. 

Annie refused to look at either of them, and without turning back, she said, “If I did something with my room, you’d have an interest in coming in here, which I don’t want,” Annie replied. 

Ymir walked to her bed and sat down. “No. I still enjoy coming here and bugging you.” 

Annie rolled over, wincing in pain. She was now facing Hitch but staring at Ymir. 

“I’ll listen to whatever you have to say, when you’re ready,” Ymir said, placing her hand on Annie’s arm, rubbing it slowly. 

“Me too,” Hitch added, giving Annie a small smile. 

“I’ll come down later and I’ll tell you what happened. I just want to rest, Ymir,” Annie said, softly, curling up a bit more. 

Ymir nodded, in response. She walked out of the room, but Hitch stayed where she was, watching Ymir as she left. Hitch turned back to Annie, a small smile plastered onto her face. 

“You… I was really worried about you,” Hitch said, staring at Annie, though Annie did not look back. She kept her gaze on her knees, while he hands held them close to her. 

Annie nodded, feeling terribly sorry for Hitch. 

Carry Annie to the living room. Watching Annie bleed out, till Ymir saved her. Watching Annie in pain. Watching Annie, even though she fainted, wince at everything Ymir did. Watching Annie lay unconscious for an entire day. 

Annie’s eyes glistened with tears. 

“... And… I know Ymir always jokes with you, but she was scared, aswell,” Hitch continued, tears streaming down her face, 

Annie froze at those words. She’s never seen Ymir serious or angry either- and if she did it was rarely. She’s always been calm and collected. Annie swallowed the ball in her throat, refusing to cry in front of Hitch. 

“You just… you lost so much blood,” Hitch said, trying to calm herself. “Ymir had me check if there was any blood leading to the cabin, and-” her voice cut off with a sob, “- there was so much. It was surprising you didn’t bleed out, before you reached us.” Hitches face was entirely red and tears were still rolling down her face. She continuously wiped her face as she talked. “I had to… clean up- well, make sure it wasn’t visible…” 

They stayed in silence for quite a while. The only thing breaking the silence was Hitch’s continuous sobs. Annie, on the other hand, did her best to hold back her tears, but it wouldn’t be long before she collapsed. 

“Can you-” Annie’s voice cracked, “- Can you please leave.”

Hitch looked up and nodded. She walked quickly out of the blonde’s room and into her own. Annie thought she would choke on the lump in her throat while waiting for her sister to completely leave. 

Not long after Annie sat in silence, she began to sob uncontrollably. Her guilt pushed her to the edge. She was drowning on the words Hitch said, turning herself violently. She shoved her face in a pillow, her crying became muffled and she couldn’t breathe very well. 

After calming down, she stared at her blank ceiling. _Maybe I should do something with my room_ , she thought. _It’s not the first time someone had an issue with it._ She began to smile at the words in her head. 

_Maybe more color_ , a familiar voice in her head said.After a while of looking around her room, Annie fell asleep, drifting at the thoughts of what she could do with her room.

A couple hours or so later, she awoke. She looked around her room and sat up. She winced at the pain, but it had become more bearable than before. The more she moved, the more she was able to ignore the pain. 

She sat up and slowly walked to the door. She stared at the stairs ahead of her. She knew she couldn’t get down there by herself. 

“Hi- Hitch!” she called out, leaning on the walls of the hallway for balance. 

Hitch’s head popped out of her room, and soon the rest of her body. She smiled at Annie and walked towards her. 

“Yes?” Hitch asked, curious at her summoning. 

“Can you help me get down?” Annie asked, motioning her hand towards the stairs. 

“Anything for you,” Hitch said, throwing Annie’s arm over her, helping her towards the stairs. 

Luckily, Annie was petite, so It was easier for Hitch to help her down the stairs, with the occasional, “watch your step!” 

As they reached the first floor, Hitch asked, “Do you need any more help?” 

“No, no,” Annie said, shaking her head. “I just couldn’t get down the stairs, but other than that, I’m fine with walking on leveled ground.”

Hitch nodded. “Ymir’s probably cooking; it’s close to dinner.”

“Really?” Annie asked. Her voice was high pitched; she didn’t know she slept that long. 

Hitch smiled and gave Annie a pat on the shoulder. She walked into the kitchen, Annie heard the muffled sound of both, Hitch and Ymir’s, voices. 

Annie took her time walking to the kitchen, inspecting every inch of the hallway: the paintings of the old witches, _they had their own life and story_ , Annie thought; the bright beige color that had Annie begging Ymir to pick another color. She didn’t. 

Though it was inevitable, Annie was surprised to see herself arriving at the kitchen in such a short amount of time. It seemed that her thoughts kept her occupied. As she walked in she saw: the food was already on the table, still warm and fresh; Hitch had been washing the dishes, her hands were wrinkled from all the water she was using; Ymir was leaning on the counter, drinking her wine, talking to Hitch. 

They both stopped what they were doing and stared at Annie. Hitch flashed a smile, but continued to wash the dishes. Ymir looked her up and down, satisfied with the work she did. She looked back at Hitch, continuing their conversation. 

Annie walked towards the table, pulled out her chair and sat down. While the two women talked. Annie looked around the kitchen, the dim lights barely made anything visible. The kitchen was large, even though it was only used by three women. 

Not long after, Ymir and Hitch joined her, eating their food in silence, with the occasional small talk. 

Annie had only been picking at her food. She was hungry, but she couldn’t eat. “Guys…” Annie said, cutting off Hitch’s and Ymir’s conversation. They both looked at her, curious at what she was going to say. “About yesterday…” She continued. 

Ymir put down utensils and focussed on Annie. Hitch looked down, staring at her food. 

“The hunters are coming deeper into the forest,” Annie said. “I wasn’t close to the town, I swear, but they still found me.” 

Ymir leaned in closer, practically begging for more information. Hitch’s head snapped up, her eyes were wide and stared at Annie. 

“I just… I was just playing in the forest, and they found me. They followed me for a mile or two- but I wasn’t near the coven either,” she added, not wanting to worry them even more. “Luckily, I got away, but they're coming much deeper into the woods, and their weapons are more advanced.” 

Ymir’s expression didn’t change, but she had sighed and leaned back into her chair. Hitch’s facial expression hadn’t changed. 

“I knew this would happen, someday,” Ymir said. 

Annie stared at her. “What do you mean.” 

Ymir sighed, again. “Look… they’re terrified of us. They’ve searched for us forever, and, well, if you’ve gone into town you’d know what happens to people they suspect.” 

Annie stared at her. “What do you mean? There’s never been an actual witch killed since _years_ ago.”

Ymir shook her head. “They’ve killed no _actual_ witches, but if they suspect you, you’re as good as dead. I go into town every week, they always have non-witches strung up,” she said. “And I knew someday they would want real witches strung up, it was only a matter of time before they checked the woods- it was inevitable. And yes, as times go on, their weapons will upgrade.”

“Will they ever reach us,” Hitch asked. 

“No,” she said, firmly. “And if they do, they’ll never catch us.” She gave a soft smile to Hitch, knowing she was scared. “And Annie, I don’t want you in the woods for a while, they’ll be looking more than ever, now.” 

Annie nodded her head. “What about the other covens?”

“They don’t need to worry, only the witches in town do, but I’ll still tell them,” Ymir said, continuing with her food. 

Hitch froze. “What do you mean, ‘witches in town’.”

Ymir’s expression didn’t change. “Well, there are some witches who don’t join covens. They live their lives with normal people, everyday. When a witch comes of age, they can leave the coven; it’s their choice…” she said. “And there are some witches who grow up with regular people; they don’t get left in covens, like what usually happens, they stay with their family. And some parents know their kids are witches… but most don't."

It took Annie and Hitch a small amount of time to understand what Ymir said. Both were equally as shocked to hear that there were witches in no coven. 

After a while of them eating, Annie asked, “Why don't we ever see the witches from different covens.”

"There will be a time when you get to meet them, but only when we need to,” Ymir said. She continued to eat her food. 

“Well, where are the other covens?” Hitch asked, becoming more interested in the conversation. 

“Same as us; deep in the forest. We're not a part of that coven, we know we're close to one, when it becomes difficult to keep going. Each coven has different protection, though: with us, people cannot move through the trees and branches, if they touched a plant, they'll feel extreme pain; with Histroia's coven, they will start to lose their breathe, people would feel like they suffocated; and Pieck's coven, you would start to hallucinate, it feels terrifying.”

“Then how do you enter their coven,” Hitch questioned. 

“When you two were small, I took some blood out of you and put it on the coven,” she said. “You are a part of this house, it… knows you, sort of. And I may not be in their coven, but I did put in my blood, Same as Historia and Pieck.”

Annie stayed quiet throughout the conversation, already knowing the information. 

After a while of them eating in silence, Annie got up to throw away the rest of her food. And it seemed that Hitch was waiting for her to finish, throwing away her food right after and walking next to Annie. 

“Goodnight, girls,” Ymir said, waving at them as she got up to wash the dishes. 

“Night,” Annie said 

“Goodnight, Ymir,” Hitch said, smiling brightly. 

Annie and Hitch noticed it was much more difficult to walk up the stairs, than down. Annie had a hard time lifting her thigh, which was obvious because she had been waddling her way around. Hitch seemed frustrated, noticing the amount of time it took to only get up the stairs half-way. 

As Hitch watched Annie try to lift her leg, she quickly grabbed her, and held her like a baby. Annie gasped at the sudden movement, and winced at the pain shooting through her body. 

“This is much quicker,” Hitch said, smiling at Annie's facial expression.

Annie quickly looked away, but held onto Hitch tighter. “I guess,” she mumbled. 

After Hitch dropped her off at her room, Annie walked to her bed as quickly as she could, and collapsed. She'd only been downstairs for an hour, but she craved her bed. She hadn't bothered to change, and threw the covers over her, quickly falling asleep as she soothed in the comfort. 

* * *

Annie watched as she and MIkasa played in the forest. Different colored poppies were everywhere, and the grass was as green as ever. They were both smiling, and talking to each other. 

The forest was brightly colored. Every inch of it was green, pink, red, yellow, and the blue which came from the stream. Butterflies were flying around them and the sun shined bright on them. 

They were both laughing and held hands, as they ran around. They weren’t kids, but they sure acted like some when they were together. 

Annie smiled, watching herself and Mikasa play. She enjoyed the times that no longer existed. 

“You're the devil,” a voice behind Annie said. 

Annie knew that voice, it was Mikasa's. She quickly turned her head, but nothing was there. She turned her head back, but all she found was darkness. She looked down and shook her head. 

A minute or so after, Annie opened her eyes and darkness was all she could see. She looked down and noticed the blood all over her. Her hands had a flower growing, it was covered in blood. 

“I hate you,” Mikasa said. 

Annie shook her head, frantically looking around for where the voice was. There was nothing.

“How could you,” Mikasa sobbed. 

Annie knew what she meant in that instant. “No, no. You don’t understand” 

“You’re the devil,” She screamed. 

“Stop it! Please! You don’t understand!” Annie screamed back, crying. 

“I trusted you!” Mikasa yelled. 

“I trusted you, too,” Annie pleaded, she was holding her head and frantically shaking. 

“Annie!” Mikasa yelled. 

“Stop it!” 

“Annie!” a muffled voice screamed. 

“Stop-” Annie woke up, Ymir was shaking her. 

Annie was shaking and she had tears in her eyes. Ymir stared at her, not knowing what happened, and Hitch was at the doorway, watching from afar. 

“Annie…” Ymir said. She sounded worried. 

“No. Not today. Please,” Annie said, turned the opposite way from them. 

“...Okay,” Ymir said, lifting her hand from Annie’s arm. 

Ymir walked towards Hitch and whispered something in her ear. They walked back into their rooms, but neither slept. Both were trying to figure out what happened. And Annie didn’t sleep either. She was still shaking, not understanding why she had that dream. 

It’s been years since she had it. It’d been years since she had either Ymir or Hitch shake her till she woke up. It’d been years since she’s thought of _that_. Why now? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey :) Sorry I haven’t updated in a while, i’ve been busy with school. I hope you like this chapter, really. Please give me some feedback on it, if you can. Thank you for reading! Have a good day!
> 
> Update: I’m sure you’ve noticed that each chapter is short, which i’m sorry about, and a bit rushed. I truly apologize for that. From now on, I will update a new chapter every 1-2 weeks and take my time with it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day prior and after Mikasa and Annie meet again, but in Mikasa’s POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing is so bad *sobs*

A couple hours prior. 

“Mikasa! Wake up!” a voice yelled. They were banging on the door of Mikasa's room, desperately trying to wake the girl up. They tried opening the door numerous times, but unfortunately- well, fortunately for Mikasa, the door was being held closed by a leaning chair. 

Mikasa was rocking in her bed, curled up in a ball with her blanket, already being awake, but still refusing to get up. She placed both of her hands on her ears to silence the unwelcome presence, which it did, of course. She had only gotten three hours of sleep; Hange kept her up, talking about whether she should get a cat or a dog. 

A cat was the final decision. 

The light above her was dim and yellow and flickered a lot; perfect for her. It was, well, according to her, relaxing to rest under. It might have flickered a lot, but it would be a century before that light went out. Plus, if the light was completely bright, you’d be able to see how disgusting Mikasa’s room actually was: dust was located everywhere, her walls were covered with dried blood, and yes, dirt; her bed was pushed into a corner; she had an old, wooden dresser than held all her clothes, which wasn’t much. 

The person outside was impatient, and, well, upset that they had to (almost) always do this with her. They walked a couple, like five, feet away from the black-haired girl's door, and began to run towards it, turning their body to the side, and slamming into her door. Mikasa shot up from her bed, frightened at the loud noise, frantically shaking her head to see what happened. The person, on the other hand, slumped next to the door, holding their hand that felt the impact. 

“Mikasa!” they yelled, already tired of whatever that was. 

Mikasa got out of bed, annoyed at the ruckus they were causing. She walked towards the door, carefully removing the chair out of the way. When she opened the door, the person who caused the ruckus fell backwards, which made their head fall onto Mikasa's knees. 

“Eren,” Mikasa said flatly, staring down at him. He quickly lifted himself up, dusting his pants. 

“You do know what day it is, right,” he said. It was in the form of a question, but said in a tone of “yes-you-do-fucken-know.” He walked beside Mikasa, stepping into her room, and collapsed on her bed, sighing at the comfort. . 

Mikasa, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at the unwelcome guest. “Yes. How could I not?” she said. 

“Then why didn’t you wake up two hours earlier, at eight,” he said, “it’s when training started.” He sat up and crossed his arms. Mikasa walked to the chair- which was used to protect her from this, but instead failed her- and sat down, staring at Eren.

“Erwin said I could take a break today, that I’ve been ‘working the hardest.’”

Eren laughed. “He told all of us that, but even then, we should still train. Especially since today is  _ the _ day,” he said. “Plus, I think we should start getting ready.”

“We are talking about the same thing, right?”

“We should be.”

“I’m talking about the mission we’re going to go on, which for a matter of fact, is planned to start in, what, just after midnight. What are  _ you _ talking about?” she asked, slumping down on her chair. 

He smirked at her and dropped his hands. “Yes. Same thing,” he said. “But still, shouldn't you be getting ready, preparing- or something, like the rest of us.” 

Mikasa eyed him. “But we have been training, for years, actually.” 

“Yeah,” he muttered. “You have.”

Mikasa sat up straight. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It’s just-well… you know…” he said quietly. 

“No. I don’t know.” Her tone was cold. 

“You just went through different training than us, it’s not a big deal, Mikasa.” 

Her eyes shot up to Eren, her lips turning into a frown. “Yes, I did,” she said sternly. “I still think about the shit I had to go through- and for what? To be a scout? Eren, I’d rather have trained like you and Hange. Training under Kenny was a pain in the ass.”

Eren rolled his eyes, sighing at the girl's response. “Look,” he began, pointing a finger at the her, “anyone would have gladly replaced your spot. But we can’t. You’re an Ackerman, we are not. You got to train under  _ The  _ Kenny Ackerman, and we couldn't.” He stood up and walked towards Mikasa, stopping just one foot in front of her. “You should acknowledge how lucky you are.”

He walked towards the door, but before leaving, he said, “I’m gonna be training, if you want to join, I’ll be there till seven. Ackerman or not, you’re a part of this team.” And with that, he walked away. 

Mikasa was left stunned on the chair. She couldn’t believe how incorrect Eren had been.  _ Lucky _ ? Mikasa remembers, loud and clear, how much physical and emotional pain she went through. She still remembers the time when she had to let him cut her and abuse her, because according to him, “you need to learn how to take a hit or two.” She remembers waking up and being tied to a pole with only an arrow in her hand, because according to him, “you’re gonna need to get out of difficult positions like this.” Every day was a waking nightmare for her, and to think she had to go through that for five years. 

But Eren was right about one thing, she was lucky for being able to train under Kenny. She was lucky to be the strongest scout. But sometimes she debates in her head whether she would do it again. 

_ No, of course I would _ , she thought.  _ Or else, how am I gonna take down her? _

She shook her head, attempting to get rid of her thoughts. She decided to go have breakfast, I mean, she was already away, so why not? 

She fixed her hair- well, she attempted to push her hair down. She walked out of the room, too tired to look presentable. She figured she’d go to Reiner’s, maybe she’ll see Armin. 

Armin was one of her closest friends after she moved in with Eren. He knew her past, but never treated her any differently. In fact, she was probably closer to Armin than she was to Eren, the only issue was that they hardly ever saw each other. MIkasa was either in meetings or working out, for the past year. And then, before this year, she had spent 5 years with Kenny, where she saw no one. In conclusion: she hardly had free time. 

When she arrived at Reiner’s Coffee Shop, her eyes instantly found Reiner, who was behind the counter, cleaning muggs. The shop was completely empty. She walked towards him, a smile appearing on her lips. “Hey, Reiner.” 

He looked up from what he was doing, and instantly smiled greatly at who he saw before him. “Mikasa!” he said, walking around the counter between them. He pulled her into a light hug. “When was the last time I’ve seen you.”

Mikasa hugged him back. “Believe me, I don’t know.” 

They pulled away after a couple seconds, or so. Reiner jogged back to the other side of the counter. “So… what can I get you?” he asked. 

She walked towards an empty seat in front of Reiner and sat herself comfortably. “Black coffee, please,” she said. “And is Armin in here today?”

“Got it. And yes, he’s in the back, I’ll go get him,” he said, walking to the back room. 

Mikasa looked around and smiled warmly at the familiarity. She hadn’t been here in quite a while, she missed it: the warm lighting that was never too bright; the comfortable chairs, some she can even lay on; the quietness. It was just, heaven, to her. Armin came to work here once Eren and her decided to become scouts. It was the closest job to where they lived that was available. It was the right choice, of course. 

Not long after, instead of Reiner, Armin came back with her coffee, a smile spreading across his face. He handed the coffee to her, and raced around the counter. Mikasa stood up, and when he reached her they hugged each other tightly. Mikasa truly missed him. 

Not long after, they both separated, and Armin walked back to where he was. 

“So, how have things been?”

“Great, actually. And you?” Mikasa said, smiling. 

“Hmm… nothing has been happening. Nothing good, nothing bad, so pretty average,” he replied. 

Mikasa started to drink her coffee. “We have a mission today.” She drank some more of her coffee, and flinched at how hot it was.

“Oh… I see,” he said, his smile was being tugged downward. 

“Armin… what do you think me and Eren have been training for?” 

He straightened himself. “Well! It’s just… you guys have gotten nowhere.” 

“Really? Do you not see how many witches we’ve caught? Plus, today we’re finally going into the woods.  _ Deep _ in the woods,” she said, bringing the mug to her lips. 

“Mikasa, you cannot tell me that those  _ people _ being hanged outside everyday are witches. Don’t you dare think you’re fooling me. You guys just want people to think you’re making progress, but you’re not, and people are dying because of that lie.” 

Mikasa opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it. He was correct. There were no signs those people were witches, they just stepped out of line. And even now, they had innocent people in cages, just waiting for the right day to hang them. Mikasa looked down, not knowing what to say to her friend.

“So… you guys are going into the forest?” he said, continuing to clean the muggs. 

“Y-yeah. The one-and-only Erwin Smith is funding us. He said, and I quote, ‘I want those devils out of this town. I’ll give you any money needed, just do it.’”

Armin nodded his head in understanding. “Sometimes I don’t even understand why people hate them so much,” he muttered. He immediately regretted his words, and looked up and found Mikasa’s eyes already staring down at him. “I-I’m sorry, Mikasa. I didn’t-”

“It’s fine,” she said, finishing her coffee.

“Mikasa, I’m really-”

“It’s fine,” she snapped. Mikasa hated this discussion, and like all discussions like this before, she did her best to avoid it. 

Armin stared at her. His eyes were wide and he didn’t know what to say. Mikasa grabbed a five dollar bill from her pocket and slammed it on the table. “Keep the change. It was nice seeing you, Armin.” 

“Y-yeah, I’ll see you.”

Mikasa walked out of the shop. She had come to catch up, not argue. She didn’t really know where to go; Eren was mad at her, she was mad at Armin. She decided to just walk. Nowhere in particular, but see where she would take herself. 

She passed by numerous shops. Workers were outside, pleading for people to come into the store, stopping every person and asking them to enter. Mikasa simply ignored them, there was nothing about those stores that intrigued her. There were mostly fashion stores, which Mikasa did like, but she knew she would never have time like this; not being trampled by her job, and just getting free time. 

She grew up in this town, but she never noticed the small things there. The old people that sat on benches and fed the birds. The families who spent their entire time deciding on where to go, though, they almost always went where the mother wanted. The people walking their dogs. 

No. She noticed the slaughtered cats in the alleyway. She noticed, like everyone else in town, the bodies hanging in the middle of town. She noticed the people being dragged out of their homes because someone who didn’t like them, did what everyone did, say they were witches. Of course she’d notice. She was there when they made the rule to kill all the cats, because they said, “they were involved with witches.” She watched her colleagues string the innocent people up. She was the one who dragged the people out of their house. 

She walked a half mile, or so, until she noticed a large building. It was an old, wooden building, and the sign in front said  _ Bookstore _ . Mikasa walked in the bookstore. It was two stories, and cluttered with books and vinyls and cds. Mikasa stared in awe at what she witnessed.

“Can I help you with anything?”

“Huh? Oh! No, thank you. I’m just looking around,” Mikasa said, her eyes darting at the man, smiling. 

“Oh! Well, let me know if you do,” he said, walking towards, and up, the stairs. 

She walked towards the shelves of books, placing a finger on the surface. She stared at the amount of books that were just on that one shelf. She walked forward, pulling her finger away from the wood. She noticed the amount of dust on it and smudged it on her pants. The isles were tall and wide. She’d have to guess two-hundred books were in that aisle alone. 

_ Read me another one _ , Annie said. MIkasa froze, she shook her head. She hated hearing Annie in her head. 

She continues, going through each aisle, examining the books they had, questioning which one interested her. She noticed some of the books were in a different language, a large majority of them were. She made her way upstairs, skipping the vinyl section. A large sign above was found above the shelves, it said  _ Classics _ . Mikasa walked towards the shelves, most of the books looked untouchable. So fragile that Mikasa would need to wear gloves to properly handle it. She made her way through the aisles, until she found a book that piecked her interest. 

_ Frankenstein _ . 

The binding was leather, and colored red and gold. The paper was thick and a creme color. God, she loved it. 

_ Creme is the worst _ . 

Mikasa smacked her head, erasing everything that went on in her mind. She walked past the aisles and down the stairs. 

“Found a book?” the man from earlier said.

Mikasa looked at him and smiled. “Yeah,” she said, waving the book in the hair, walking away. The man- Jean, his tag read, continued to organize the books. 

She walked towards the cashier, placing the book on the counter. The man in front of her was smiling. 

“Will this be all?” he said. He was tall, but shorter than the man before; his hair was dark brown, close enough to be black. 

Mikasa smiled, pulling out her cash. “Yes, that’ll be all.” 

“Okay…” he scanned the book and pressed on his screen. “That’ll be… twelve dollars exact.”

Mikasa handed him a twenty dollar bill. He handed her the book and grabbed the cash, he went to the cash register, ready to give her change, but Mikasa said, “No, keep the change. A book like this can’t possibly be twelve dollars.” 

“But I-”

“Really,” she said smiling, “it’s fine.” Mikasa walked towards the door and waved goodbye at the man. She’d go there more often, if she had time. 

When she walked back to her building, she continued on what she was doing: examining the parts of town she never noticed. But if she was being honest, she desperately wanted to start her new book. She was happy with her purchase, it was either this or  _ Wuthering Heights.  _

When she arrived at the building, she spent no extra time and walked quickly to her room, passing by the training area. But something caught her attention, and she stopped in her tracks.

“...Who does Mikasa think she is?” a man said. 

“It’s because she’s an Ackerman, so she thinks she’s privileged,” another said. 

“Today is an important day. She can’t be slacking off,” a woman said. 

“Yeah.”

Eren stopped boxing, pulling off his gloves, walking towards the group of people. “C’mon, don’t say that.”

“Shut up, Eren. You, especially, know it’s true,” the man said. 

“Alright… so what if I get mad she skips some practices. But if I was her, I’d do the same.”

“Oh, come on. Step defending your little girlfriend,” the man exaggerated.

Eren’s anger peaked. “Look. You can’t tell me that if you got the amount of pressure Mikasa does from Erwin, you’d not skip the one day you get time off. Be honest, though she’s skipping this one training, who do you think is going to be the one working the hardest on today’s mission,” Eren said. 

The man rolled his eyes, the women were just standing there, uncertain on what to say. They all continued their workout, ignoring each other. 

MIkasa smiled at herself. Eren had been telling her something entirely different this morning, but here he was, erasing his words before. She walked towards her dorm, entering it and locking it with the chair. She didn't want anyone to bug her. She kicked off her shoes, and collapsed on her bed. 

She lifted herself up, ready to start reading the book. She hadn’t read anything of her preference for quite a while. Sure, Erwin allowed her access to his library, but most books were in a language she didn’t understand(different from the one in the store,) or just plain history and science books(which Hange adored.)

She opened up the book and began to read. 

* * *

It was close to ten at night, when she finished the book. She skipped dinner without even noticing, and it was even close time to the mission. Mikasa dragged herself out of bed, realizing she needed to start getting ready. She was sore in all places. Staying in one position for too long did no good for her. 

She closed her door and locked it with the chair. A technique she learned from Hange. She had begun to get ready, putting the straps around her body, and securing knives all over. She had tried putting her hair into a ponytail, but the band broke; she tried braiding it, but her hair refused to stay put.  _ Okay _ , she thought, she leaned down and pulled out a knife,  _ okay _ . She lifted the knife, pulled large chunks of her hair up, and began to slice her hair. She didn’t look to see if she did it correctly, she just wanted it off. She cut it up to her ears, her hair was crooked, but it didn’t get in her way. 

“Okay,” she whispered to herself. She placed the knife back under the strap, and proceeded to make her way to the training area.

She was far too stiff to go on a mission. When she arrived in the training area, only a few people who she didn’t recognize were there. She found a roamy spot for her, and began to stretch. She figured she’d work on her knife skills, after. Really, all she could think about while working out was the plot to the book she read. How could she not? It was one of the most fascinating books she’s ever read. 

An hour or two after, she decided to go into her room and take a quick break. They’d be outside all night, so she really should’ve rested a longer amount of time. She began to play with her fingers, thinking about how today's mission would go.

“ _ If you are ordered to go on mission 101, please direct yourself to the horses, Levi and Zeke will go over what's happening,” _ a voice from the speaker said.

Mikasa got out of her bed in record time. She made sure her weapons were placed correctly, not wanting there to be an incident. Eren had ran towards her dorm, screaming at her, “Mikasa! Hurry up or you’ll be late!” He ran off, obviously excited for the mission, to where the horses were being held.

Though he was not there, Mikasa nodded. She walked towards her drawer and grabbed a picture frame that was laying on top. In the picture, there was a small, black-haired little girl being hugged by two older people. It was Mikasa and her parents. Her father had brown hair with matching brown eyes, he had a large smile on his face; her mother was almost identical as the little girl in front of her: black hair, grey eyes. They were standing in front of their new home. 

“For you,” Mikasa whispered. “I’ll kill them- her… for you.”

She placed the frama back where it was and proceeded to the requested location. People were running past her, they had a fear of being late. Mikasa took her time walking, not wanting to waste her energy on being on time. 

When she finally arrived, it seemed everyone was already there listening to Captain Levi and Zeke. Erwin was standing beside the two men. 

“...so remember, there’s nothing to be worried about today. If you find something, alert us. If there’s nothing, well, better luck next time,” Zeke said, and Levi nodded. Erwin stepped forward, having something else he wanted to say. 

“As you’ve noticed, I’ve put my money into your new weapons”- (everyone started to look down and admire their new weapons and uniforms)-”and gear, so don’t disappoint me.”

Mikasa scoffed. It was easy for him to say that, considering the fact that he’s never been out on the field like they were. Everyone turned to look at Mikasa, her scoff was heard by everyone, including the man himself. He walked towards the back of the crowd, towards Mikasa. When he reached her, he stayed silent for quite a while, Mikasa was staring into his eyes. 

“Was there something you’d like to add,” he said, looking down at the young girl. 

“No, Sir.” 

“Are you sure?” he pressed. 

“Yes, Sir.”

“May I ask you a question,” he said. 

“Yes, Sir,” Mikasa said. Her tone was still ice cold. 

“Why are you not wearing the new gear I’ve paid for?”

“Because I prefer my personal gear better, Sir.”

“Are you saying that my money has been wasted on useless gear?” he said, leaning in closer.

Mikasa felt the gaze of everyone around her, but she refused to look away from Erwin. 

“No, Sir. This gear just does not fit my comfort, Sir.” 

“Go put on the new gear, Mikasa,” he said, walking into the crowd of people. 

“But, Sir-”

“Mikasa,” Levi said, “go change into the new gear. That’s an order.” 

Mikasa nodded her head and looked down. It wasn’t that the new gear was bad, it was just too much unnecessary weight. It would be difficult to go on missions with. 

“Mikasa, we’ll wait at the entryway of the forest,” Zeke said. 

Mikasa jogged to where they had the spare gear. She needed to change quickly. It wasn’t that they’d leave without her, but it was too embarrassing to get scolded twice. The gear was easy to put on, and she used the straps around her body to hold it in place. 

She ran towards the desired location, hoping she didn’t take too much unnecessary time. When she arrived, Eren was waiting for her on top of a horse. 

He smiled weakly at her, and said, “Sorry, there wasn’t enough.”

Mikasa shook her head. “It’s fine. If we’re going into the woods, I’d rather be on foot.”

“Okay,” Levi yelled. “Let’s begin.”

* * *

The day after. 

Mikasa didn’t sleep when she came back from the mission. She was still stunned at what happened the day before. She saw  _ her _ . 

Mikasa laid awake, trying to process what happened. 

_ I saw Annie. I tried to kill Annie. I let Annie go.  _

She was hoping none of her colleagues saw what happened. They’d probably burn her at stake, yelling “witch” if they did. But deeper into the restless night, she felt hot tears rolling down her face. She let herself- no, her parents down. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling her knees in. “I’m so sorry.” 

_ Don’t be hard on yourself _ , a younger Annie said, smiling at Mikasa. 

Mikasa froze. Her tears were still going, but she wasn’t shaking anymore. She dropped her legs and turned her body so that she was facing the ceiling. She stayed in that position all night, she heard some movement outside her door, but she still didn’t move. 

She didn’t know when she stopped crying, but she did. Currently, nothing was going through her head. It was blank. She wasn’t overthinking about the mission, nor the meeting they had today, or the chance someone saw her. She was frozen without thought. 

Soon, her alarm went off. Mikasa stayed in the same position, but looked up at her clock. It was close to the meeting time, Eren would probably come bug her if she didn’t get up. Mikasa slowly lifted herself, grabbing one of her shoes, which was thrown on the floor, grabbed it and threw it at her clock. The impact made her clock fly towards the wall and break. She saw the glass break, though the red metal stayed fine, and the clock kept moving. The noise didn’t stop, and after a couple seconds Mikasa stomped her way to the drawer, grabbing the clock. She opened her drawer, positioning the clock half in and half out, and slammed her drawer as hard as she could. The clock went silent, and Mikasa stayed frozen, looking down at what she had done. 

A person knocked on her door softly. “Hey… Mikasa, the meeting starts in ten minutes,” the familiar voice said. It was Eren’s.

Mikasa didn’t look up. “Y-yeah. I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning onto the door. 

“I’m fine,” she said, looking up and removing the broken clock. 

“Are you sure, Mikasa. Because-” he started.

“I’m fine,” Mikasa snapped, tossing the useless clock to the top of the drawer. She heard Eren’s steps become quieter, and become lost in the distance. 

Mikasa grabbed her shoe from the surface of the drawer and walked towards her bed, collapsing onto it after. She was tired. And miserable. And she felt sick. And she was really tired. She slipped on her shoes and tied them sloppily. 

She walked slowly to Erwin’s office. She didn't like Erwin. He wasn't mean, he was strict. He wasn't weird, he was just quiet. But still, Mikasa never seemed to like him. He never grew on her, either. 

The walls around her were drowned in dust, and the light above was close to shutting off. Seriously, he can put as much money he wants into the gear, but never into this place. It was an old, large building, just waiting to collapse at any second. But according to Zeke, “it's good enough.” And Levi hates it, but he never says anything about it. 

Mikasa reached Erwin's office. As she opened the door, all eyes were on her. They were all sitting around the large table. Mikasa knew she disrupted them, but really, what else was she going to do. Wait outside?

“Mikasa, wait outside,” Erwin said. 

Mikasa flinched at the words, but nodded and did as she was told. She closed the door and leaned on the wall in front of it. Her eyes were struggling to stay open, but they also refused to close. 

Not long after, numerous people from the mission yesterday walked out, they all avoided her gaze, even Eren. Did they know what happened? Were they going to question her? Did they see what happened? 

Levi walked towards the doorway. "Mikasa,” he said, motioning for her to come inside. 

Her heart was racing. She didn't know what to expect. 

She made her way to the farthest chair, away from Zeke, Erwin, and, though he was still making his way to the seat, Levi.

“Mikasa,” Zeke said. He turned to look at Levi, and she followed. 

“Mikasa, some of the scouts said you disappeared… before the witch was seen,” Levi said, leaning into the table. 

Mikasa gave him a confusing look. She knew what they were talking about, of course; she saw Annie before anyone else did and followed, though that gave Annie more attention than intended. 

“Look,” Zeke started, “we just want to know where you were.”

Their gazes were stabbing Mikasa. Repeatedly stabbed her, in fact. Especially Erwin's. 

“I”- Mikasa cleared her throat, -”I saw the witch before anyone else did. I wanted to catch her on my own, so I left my position and went out for her.”

“So you disobeyed my order,” Levi said. 

“I- well-” Mikasa stammered. 

“Yes or no,” Levi said, his jaw tightening. 

Mikasa looked down and fiddled with her fingers. “It's not that simple of a question,” she whispered. 

“Mikasa, yes or no,” he said. 

"It's not-”

“Mikasa! Answer me! Did you, or did you not, disobey my orders” Levi yelled, slamming his hands on the table. 

“Yes,” Mikasa said loudly. 

There was a loud silence after. They were all staring back at each other. Mikasa had no emotion on her face, though she was terrified of what would come of her actions. 

“That will be all, Mikasa,” Zeke said, motioning towards the door. 

MIkasa quickly darted out of the room. She didn't know what her punishment would be. Nobody ever disobeyed Levi's orders. She arrived at her dorm in record time, she didn't even feel tired anymore. She was worried. She messed up her first important mission. 

She kicked off her shoes, her clothes following behind. She threw herself on her bed and curled up in a ball. She felt miserable. She went over how today went: she didn't sleep, and then she got in trouble. A little worse than her usual days. 

She fell asleep late at night. It was going to be trouble getting up tomorrow, she didn't have an alarm clock anymore, either. 

Tomorrow will, without a doubt, be worse than today. 

* * *

Mikasa didn't wake up to Eren banging on her door, no. She woke up to the speakers, “ _ Mikasa Ackerman. Mikasa Ackerman, report to Erwin's office. Mikasa Ackerman. Mikasa Ackerman, report to Erwin's office.” _

Mikasa quickly got out of bed, ignoring the fuzzy part of her brain. She took out black pants, and a white shirt, and threw them on. She slipped on her shoes and left for Erwin's office. 

She knocked on the door, not wanting to barge in. 

“Come in,” Erwin said. 

Mikasa opened the door to find the same three men, in the same positions as yesterday. She walked towards the seat she sat at yesterday, turning her gaze to the men. 

“So…” Zeke started. 

“You will now be training under me,” Levi finished. 

Mikasa's eyes were wide open. “But- but I've already trained under Kenny." 

“And clearly, those five years were a waste.”

“No- wait, all I did was not follow an order. That's-"

“An order I gave you. Yesterday, Floch was telling us that you've started to slack off in your training,” Levi said sternly. 

Mikasa felt helpless. “I wasn't-” 

“Mikasa,” Levi snapped, “this isn't up for discussion.” 

She looked down, not knowing how to feel about the decision. They were staring at her, waiting for her response. 

“You will not be training under Pixis. You will train under me.” 

Mikasa didn't know what to say. And even if she did, she couldn't. “Yes, sir.” She lifted herself from the chair and walked back to her room. 

She would have rather cleaned the restrooms- anything, rather than train under Levi. Now, he wasn't as bad as Kenny-no, but that's what made it much more difficult. Kenny was all about enduring the pain, and getting out of situations, and strengthening ones body; Levi needed more. He needed pain insurance, and integrity, and strength, and flexibility, and he needed perfection in your moves. 

MIkasa, like everyone else but more, was glad to have the day off. The mission really took everything out of her, and everyone else. Though they were happy to find a witch. It wasn't some person they picked off the street and plastered the word “witch” on, it was an actual witch. Mikasa just dreaded the fact that the witch they all had in mind was  _ her _ . 

Mikasa did want to kill her, of course. She needed to do it for her family, of course. She needed to erase her past. She needed to stop remembering the blonde's voice, the way she moved, the way her smile made everything around her lighter. But she didn't like that the others found her. Mikasa was the one that needed to kill her, not a stranger. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for publishing it late. I’ve been caught up with tests, and such.


End file.
